Grief
by Laina Inverse
Summary: Different people mourn in different ways, but when grief leads one to dangerous neglect and disregard of personal safety, others must step in to help. Post Arc 2 Spoilers for Rune Factory 4. TW for self-harm and attempted suicide. Also potential language in future chapters. (And for the confused, Reesa Frey)
1. Dylas

_The thing about grief is that it's different for each person. Some people can come to terms with it quickly. Others can't._

_She couldn't._

_Venti was gone. And while the rest of us were moving on okay, Reesa... that is, our stand-in Princess, with no memories of her past. Well, she wasn't. She would sit or stand in Venti's old resting place for hours. She'd vanish for days at a time. Whenever someone offered to help, she'd turn on that million G smile and say she was fine, and thank them for caring._

_I though we should let her be for a while. Probably a stupid thing to think, but Reesa... well, she liked to do things her own way. In her own time. Forcing things wasn't really my style anyways. Arthur was in the same boat as me, both of us not really sure what to do for her. Both of us worried about her, but we left it alone, hoping she'd come to one, or both of us._

_Leon was finally the one to get the ball rolling. So to speak._

Dylas grimaced as Leon shoved him through the door that separated Porcoline's restaurant from Arthur's office, kicking the door firmly closed behind them.

"You couldn't ask?" the other Guardian muttered in annoyance.

"It's urgent," Leon retorted. "And it's about Reesa."

That made Dylas shut up. Reesa was a careful subject between the three of them; technically she was dating all three and while it had come close to blows, they had all eventually settled into a somewhat comfortable rhythm. And it did seem like Reesa loved all of them fairly equally too. At least there had been no indication of favoritism from the princess...

Arthur was not standing behind his desk hard at work, for once. He was, in fact, pacing in front of it. When Dylas and Leon both stopped in front of him, he looked up, worry written all over his face.

"I've spoken to Mr. Volkanon, Clorica, and Vishanl," the actual prince said without preamble. "All of them say they_ think_ she's been eating, but she has lost a dreadful amount of weight. Both Vishanl and Clorica have seen her working in her fields, much harder than she used to. Nancy and Dr. Jones both tell me she's come in with rather extreme injuries and exhaustion after being away for several days."

Leon nodded a little.

"I've noticed one or the other hovering around the entrance to the castle when she's gone off for a few days," he said. "They trade places too, when one has waited a while. I don't think they've gotten Dolce in on it yet, but she's not dim. She'll catch on soon, if she hasn't already."

"Okay, but what are _we_ supposed to do?" Dylas interrupted, shaking his head a little. "Reesa's not going to talk to any of us if we try to force it you know. Idiot that she is..."

"We have to try, Dylas," Arthur said quietly, nudging his glasses slightly up his nose. "At the rate she's going, she'll do irreparable damage, or she may well kill herself over this."

Leon nodded again as a little chill passed through Dylas.

"It's a good front she's got," the fox-eared man said, twirling his closed peacock-feather fan in his hand. "If I didn't know her as well as I do, I'd probably even believe it. But if you take the time to look past it, she's all broken up inside, and she doesn't know how to work through it."

"All right, I _get_ it," Dylas snapped, running a hand through his hair. "But really, what are we supposed to do?"

"Supporting her from a distance isn't working, I'll admit," Arthur sighed. "And I am as unwilling as you to force our presence on her..."

"Fortunately for you both, I'm not," Leon retorted. "Come on. She's getting looked after whether she likes it or not!"

Dylas blinked as Leon moved for the door, then scrambled to follow; odd friendship or not, no way was he going to let _Leon_ take all the credit for helping her out! Arthur wasn't far behind, either.

"First we have to track her down," the prince said as they entered the warm summer air of Selphia. "We don't even know where she is now."

"Won't be hard," Leon shrugged. "I can have the foxes find her. Or we can do it the boring way."

Dylas shook his head a little.

"If we're going to do this, better to do it fast before someone figures out what we're doing. Like Kiel. Kid can't keep a secret to save his life. And if the girls get involved..."

Leon grimaced a little, and even Arthur cringed slightly. It was one thing if it was just the three of them; they were all close to Reesa. They would probably be forgiven eventually. But if the whole town got involved? That would be trouble.

"Right."

Leon's foxes were magical in nature, a remnant of his time as a Guardian. They were also very very smart. They ran ahead of the trio into the palace and Reesa's empty bedroom. The three men hovered in the doorway, but when no little green-haired psuedo-princess popped up to ask what they were doing, they cautiously entered.

Reesa's room was relatively neat, though here and there were little things she'd picked up. Flowers in a vase on her windowsill, from her last date with him, Dylas noted with some small pride. That silly chipsqueak plushie thing she kept at the head of her bed because she said it helped her sleep... a few clothes too.

The foxes were sniffing around, picking up trails old and new, there were some abortive attempts in all directions that had Leon reminding the mischief-makers that they wanted the most _recent_ trail.

The most recent trail led the foxes out to Venti's chamber, then through the main door of the castle. In a way it was a little bit of a relief for the three to not go out the same way they'd gone in... And given that the courtyard had filled with people going here and there on their daily errands, it would have raised more than a few questions. Questions none of them wanted to answer.

Arthur nodded to the people who called his name, raising a hand slightly in greeting even as he kept following the other two. Dylas and Leon took no notice of their surroundings, or the people trying to say hello. For Dylas, this wasn't too far from his normal behavior, but Leon's lack of sarcasm left a few raised eyebrows and concerned faces at their backs.

They were led out of town, and into the monster-riddled plain of Selphia. Fortunately all three of them were armed, and knew how to use their weapons of choice. If Dylas' hard punches didn't put an attacking monster down, then either Leon's spear or Arthur's magic would do the job.

The trail went west, and the attacking creatures became increasingly difficult to take down. Still there was no sign of Reesa, and they all had their fair share of injuries by the time they made it through to the edge of Norad's territory.

"What is she doing all the way out here?" Dylas grumbled, rubbing at his bruised arm. "Didn't you tell her she shouldn't cross the border any more, Arthur?"

"There's no harm in it when she's just going to help take care of a few monsters," the prince said. "It actually helps them as well, since they don't have to spend the time, effort, and money of a patrol. It's... an unofficial benefit."

"Maybe, but it's also a pain in the neck!"

"Only because you're the close-range fighter," Leon snorted a little, slinging his corseca over his uninjured shoulder. "I keep telling you, you ought to invest in some other weapon..."

Dylas looked down at the Water Gloves he was wearing, then snorted irritably.

"Like hell."

Reesa had made him these gloves. Hell, Reesa had made pretty much all the gear each of them was wearing. Some of the items were a little more worn than others, as she'd used them first, but they were definitely treasures for each man.

As they entered the snow-covered lands of the Sechs territory, Leon's sharp eyes spotted a familiar figure. He let out a long sigh of relief as both foxes came bounding back to him returning to their clothing forms; it was _cold_ in this land, after all. He started to lift his hand, opened his mouth to call a greeting when that slender figure simply collapsed in a boneless heap.

Leon startled as Arthur cried out in worry, but Dylas was faster than both of them and darted over to Reesa's unconscious form. Gingerly he inspected her, taking note of all the bruises, contusions, and other injuries she'd acquired. Hell, she was even less well-dressed for this territory than Leon was!

"Is she alive?" Leon asked.

"...yeah. Arthur, get over here and heal her up so we can take her to Jones and Nancy!" Dylas snapped.

The prince jumped, then hurried over to join them; he was good at business deals and handled the pressures of princely life quite well, but discovering his girlfriend had gone and gotten herself extremely injured was not something he had a great deal of experience with. Then again, none of them did. Dylas and Leon were just better at hiding some things.

"I'll get the arrows out," Leon volunteered.

Arthur nodded; while the arrows were good for keeping blood and other things in the wounds, healing them in wouldn't go over too well. Dylas helped after a minute, and fortunately, there weren't a great number of them.

"What the hell was she fighting?" he demanded, glancing up to look through the trees.

"Whatever it was, she was doing it alone. This has got to stop. If we hadn't come along, she might never have come back to us," the dragon-priest said grimly.

"And what should we do?" Arthur asked, looking up from his healing.

"Sit on her, obviously!" Leon retorted. "Look, Venti's gone, and it sucks. It hurts for all of us. But how do you think the town will react if Reesa goes too? Most of the people in town didn't _know_ Venti. But everyone knows Reesa."

Dylas cringed a little at the thought; he hadn't lost as much time as some of the other Guardians, but it was enough to feel the sting of pain at even the thought of losing this normally cheery young woman.

"We can't control her life, Leon," Arthur said quietly. "And if we tried, what love we have earned may well turn to resentment."

"I'd rather have her hate me than have her die," Dylas interjected. "At least if she hates me, she's alive to do that."

"This isn't the time to dance around it Arthur," Leon retorted. "Look at her and tell me you don't think she's not actually trying to kill herself indirectly."

They all looked down at the too-slender young woman, and Dylas couldn't help but grimace. Even with the healing, she just looked so... fragile. It wasn't a word he normally associated with Reesa either; how could you call someone who'd lost their memories and built up a new life fragile? It took strength, and bravery to keep moving forward like that...

"You realize that if we take her to the clinic, the entire town will find out anyways?" Arthur asked cautiously, pushing his glasses slightly up his nose. "There's already been mention from several people that she's been seen in and out of there a lot..."

"Then maybe it's time some of them did find out," Dylas snorted a little. "I mean, we can't watch her all the time."

"Speak for yourself," Leon retorted. "I've got all the time in the world."

The two Guardians glared at each other, and Arthur coughed a little uncertainly.

"Well, that escalated quickly," he murmured. "Perhaps we should worry about getting her back first and focus on the rest of it as it comes."

Despite the mild tone, it wasn't really a question. Dylas and Leon backed down in unison, though both faces were set in equally stubborn masks. Dylas had no intention of losing out to either man when it came to Reesa's heart, even though she herself seemed in no rush to choose.

But still, this was no time to be fighting. Even though Arthur had healed her up, his ability was limited, and she _did_ need to get back to Jones and Nancy. Now of course came a new question; specifically, who was going to carry Reesa?


	2. Leon

_We brought her back all right. In one piece, though she obviously tried her best to make it anything but. I'm still somewhat grieving for Venti too, but that idiot-dragon would just get pissed off if I moped about like Reesa is._

_I wish I knew what to say to her about it. I've already lost a lot in my life. I don't want to lose her too. Some days are hard enough without that thought..._

Leon had volunteered to take on Reesa-watching duty while she was unconscious at the clinic, since both Arthur and Dylas had jobs they needed to get back to. He knew it would stop either rival from coming to see her when they got the time, and honestly, he welcomed the breaks. The clinic was rather boring, really, and watching Reesa sleep could only be amusing for so long.

On the other hand, the idea of her waking up and him not being there wasn't a very palatable one, and he could always go fishing in the little canals later. _After_ he'd thoroughly explained why such suicidal tendencies weren't exactly the best way to grieve for Ventuswill.

He looked down at the hand he held; so slender, pale and small. A pretty extreme contrast to his own large, tanned hands.

"You idiot," he sighed, reaching out to brush some stray hair from Reesa's face. "You're not alone, you know... I swear, you and Venti are the same sort of stubbornly stupid. Venti didn't want friends because we all wanted to save her. You don't want us to see your grief because you think we'll blame _you_ for Venti's choice!"

How could they blame her for that? Venti had needed saving, and Reesa had done just that. There was nothing _to_ blame her for.

"If you would just say something..."

But Reesa was still and quiet, entirely unconscious. To deep to hear his quietly heartfelt plea. When they'd brought her in, Jones had said something about her lack of nutrition meaning her recovery would be pretty slow, but he'd honestly tuned most of it out after hearing that she _would_ recover. He was better than Dylas, at least; the former horse-based Guardian could barely sit in the room for an hour before he had to go do something to take out his frustration and helpless feelings.

The only problem Leon had with sitting for so long was thinking. He tried to avoid certain thoughts, but how could he _not_ wonder who would eventually marry Reesa in the end? Not him, not, but at the same time he hardly wanted to let her go. Was it a crime to want things to stay as they were?

He sighed a little, shifting on the stool that Dolce had given him. No doubt the fact that Reesa had been sleeping for three days was all over town by now. Dolce wasn't a gossip, and both Jones and Nancy respected the privacy of their patients, but Pico was an endless chatterbox, and when she was worried, she got worse. At least there hadn't been a stream of visitors...

Hearing footsteps, he glanced up, raising an eyebrow as Fotre nervously inched her way in. Normally teasing the somewhat stuffy, stubborn knight was fun, but his heart just wasn't in it right now, so he just nodded a little in greeting. She nodded cautiously back, then glanced over at the bed.

"It's true then, is it?" the blonde knight murmured.

"Yeah."

She knelt by the bed, resting her head on her arms, with a poignantly forlorn look that Leon couldn't help but empathize with.

"I'm supposed to be her knight," Forte said quietly. "But I didn't see this at all."

"You have a duty to the whole town," he pointed out. "And she's a better actress than any of us suspected. Especially for someone with amnesia."

"Perhaps the amnesia is what gave her that experience," Forte shook her head a little. "I've never seen her without a smile... I asked her once, whether she worried about what she's forgotten and she just laughed."

Leon reached out and patted the knight on the shoulder.

"Don't beat yourself up about it," he advised. "Reesa's got that sort of smile where you're utterly convinced that everything is just fine as long as the smile is where it belongs."

"Maybe... but it makes those of us who appreciate her presence feel all the more like we've let her down..."

Leon cocked his head a little, curious.

"Why's that?"

Forte was quiet for a very long time, giving him the chance to study not just her, but her as she looked at Reesa. Understanding flickered through him after a few minutes; everyone went to Reesa when they needed a smile, and a word of encouragement, but who, then, did Reesa turn to?

"I wonder if she talked to Lady Ventuswill about anything?"

"Who knows what those two would talk about," Leon smiled a little in amusement. "There was no denying that they were the best of friends, though. The number of arguments, or them just being ridiculous that anyone could walk in on..."

Forte smiled a little herself, nodding in agreement.

"We have to take better care of our princess," she said as she got to her feet. "We didn't know Lady Ventuswill like you, or her, so for some of us it's not as hard. It's time we rallied to her instead of putting everything onto her."

Leon blinked a little, then chuckled.

"You show you care in the weirdest way," he teased.

Forte blushed, shaking her head a little.

"J-just let me know when she wakes up!" the knight said, flustered.

"Uh huh."

He grinned a little as Forte left; it really was fun to tease her. She tried so hard to be impressive and imposing, but in some ways she was just as girly as Reesa. And maybe it hadn't just been for Reesa that she'd come... but that was pure speculation. Still, she had helped to elevate his mood, and he appreciated it.

He glanced at Reesa, then shook his head a little.

"Idiot." Then he leaned in close to her ear. "You have to wake up, love. For all of us. We want you back."

She stirred a little, and he felt his heart jump, but she only turned her head a little towards the wall. He sighed, a little forlornly, and squeezed her hand lightly. It was, at least, more animation than she'd shown in the past three days. He just had to have faith that she would wake up.

Perhaps fortunately for his swiftly waning mood, another step of feet approached him. A glance up revealed that Arthur had come to take his turn, and Leon stood up, stretching the kinks out of his back.

"How's it going?" he asked the prince quietly.

"As you surmised, Pico essentially told the entire town by telling Kiel, and Dolce made no effort to stop either one," Arthur smiled a little ruefully. "Forte has promised that she will keep everyone from flooding the clinic, at least. There has been a lot of remonstrating from everyone about not noticing how she was suffering, and I've had to remind a number of people that Reesa seems to take pleasure in taking care of them, but finds it awkward to be taken care of herself."

"That's true enough," Leon shook his head a little, getting to his feet. "But maybe it's time she understood that we're going to take care of her whether she likes it or not. We've already lost one important member of the town... and Venti was far more aloof than Reesa's ever been."

Arthur nodded his understanding, and Leon shook his head again, then reached down and flipped some of Reesa's hair into her face.

"Dork," he muttered, though it was fondly meant. "Wake up already..."


	3. Arthur

_ I had hoped that with time would come awareness and a chance to reason with her, but somehow Reesa managed to give us all the slip. I suppose it was inevitable that she would do so, but it is hardly comforting to not know where she is, or how to help her._

_Perhaps fortunately, no one is to blame for her disappearance. She simply woke up and left under her own power when no one was around to watch her. Not that it stopped Dylas or Leon from being upset. Dylas most of all, I think, though Leon's way of being upset is perhaps most similar to Reesa's own._

_We are all at a loss of where she might be. The airship is missing, but unfortunately, without another we cannot hope to track her down. I only hope that wherever she's gone she's in no danger..._

It wasn't hard to guess that everyone was upset at the now missing princess. Dylas had needed to head out of town to vent his frustrations, and Leon was off at the lake trying to keep his mind on fishing. Arthur felt sympathy for both of them, as his own mind was occupied by worry; enough so that a number of his clients had mentioned it, and he'd ruined at least three balance sheets from an inability to concentrate.

Finally he gave up and left his office for the day, going to stand at the place where the airship normally resided. She had gotten that license herself, he recalled, and had been so proud of it too. How she had gone around in glee telling anyone who would listen that she could now fly the very airship she'd fallen from.

He adjusted his glasses slightly, wondering if that was a way she'd been attempting to conquer a fear, or if perhaps he was reading too much into it. The more pressing question was also the simplest; Where _was_ she? Without the airship it took longer to get things imported to the small town, and mail would take longer to reach them. Surely Reesa hadn't simply run away...

Arthur realized he was fretting himself in a downward spiral and shook his head sharply. He had to have faith, had to believe that she would be okay. Because if he didn't, what then would happen to the rest of them?

Was this how she felt, he wondered suddenly, flicking his eyes up to the blue sky. Did she feel she had to smile for all of them, just so that everyone would feel as though it was going to be okay? Did she feel isolated and alone because she couldn't talk to anyone about missing Lady Ventuswill?

He sighed again, leaning against one of the winged poles.

"Why couldn't you have come to one of us?" he murmured quietly. "My lady, you could have come to me..."

"But would you have understood?"

The unexpected voice made him jump, and he looked up to meet the cool gaze of Dolce. He flushed a little, embarrassed at having been caught speaking aloud.

"Ah... I'm sorry?" he said uncertainly.

"Would you have understood?" Dolce repeated calmly. "You barely knew Venti, and not really as anyone other than the town's protector. And you didn't see it any more than everyone else did."

"...Did you?"

Dolce was quiet as she looked at the place where the aiship should be, then nodded.

"Dolly and milady are a lot alike!" Pico piped up, making Arthur jump a foot. Docle made an annoyed sound, but didn't tell the ghost to be quiet. "They have a hard time really saying what they feel about things, so it's sometimes hard to guess what's on either one's mind! Though I know Dolly quite well so-ooooowch!"

Dolce snorted as she removed the talisman from Pico's forehead.

"Yes, I could see that she was in pain," the elf admitted. "But she was uninterested in accepting help, instead telling me that if I needed someone to speak to, I could always come to her."

Arthur sighed, looking down at his oddly-shaped notebook.

"I usually question a person's motive very well," he admitted quietly. "But Reesa is so... straightforward that I didn't think to wonder what might lay behind that smile. I would have done more if I had known..."

"Well you didn't," Dolce pointed out, shaking her head slightly.

"Oh milady, can't you be as straightforward as Reesa?" Pico sighed dramatically. "It's no one's fault they didn't see it, and placing or taking on blame doesn't really help anyone!"

Dolce just blushed a little, looking away. Arthur smiled wearily.

"You may have a point, but it's hard to believe it when she's gone again," he sighed. "And it will take more than a few days for a second airship to be redirected here so that we can all search the Floating Empire."

"You think she went _there_?" Pico squeaked, eyes wide.

"It makes sense," Dolce nodded. "That was where everything ended, and where Venti's life ended..."

"I hope it's where she went," Arthur said quietly. "But we won't know for certain without a second airship. I only hope we're not too late."

"Geez, and I thought you were supposed to be her boyf-ooowch!"

Arthur smiled a little ruefully as Dolce used the talisman on the ghost in irritation. Yes, he was one of Reesa's boyfriends, but lately he'd begun feeling almost like he most useless one.

"You can't change it, you know," and Arthur jumped again as Margaret spoke up from the opposite side of Dolce. "Whatever happened happened, and worry about it only going to make _you_ sick."

"Ah... Well..." he blushed.

"I've told Dylas and Leon the same thing," the musician pointed out gently. "And you know, it's Reesa. I'm sure she's okay. I want her to come home, of course, but I bet she's still alive. And everyone has to believe that, okay?"

"...I wish it were that easy," he said uncertainly.

"I could always get Porco to remind you about faith," she teased.

Arthur chuckled a little, shaking his head quickly.

"No, no, that will not be necessary."

"Good. C'mon, it's time for dinner, and if we don't keep up our strength, we won't get our turn at scolding Reesa when we find her!"

Arthur allowed himself to be pulled off, then paused. Reesa kept a journal, and while he was normally loathe to pry into someone's personal effects, this was definitely a moment that warranted it.

"Arthur?"

"Ah, forgive me. I am coming."

It wasn't something he could do without Dylas or Leon... and they would both have to come back to town first, before he could suggest it.


	4. Reesa

_I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this. They all come to me now, and I have to tell them everything will be okay, even without her, but I can't keep this up. I don't want to eat, I don't want to sleep... Working on the far helps a little, and fighting monsters too... Anything so that I don't really have to think about what happened._

_Venti was like... like a security blanket. As long as she was here, it was okay. But Venti's not here any more, she's gone and it's all my fault! How can people _not_ blame me for this?_

_I blame me. If I'd been faster, or stronger, I could have won sooner, and Venti would still be here with us. I'd still be arguing with her and having late-night talks when I couldn't sleep..._

_I wish I had someone I could talk to..._

_I want Venti to come back._

Reesa opened her eyes wearily, feeling the chilly wind of the Floating Empire washing over her. She had come up here a few days ago, wanting nothing more than to jump from one of the edges; maybe if she fell again, she'd fall on Venti and she'd find out that all of this had been nothing more than a very bad nightmare.

Of course she'd changed her mind after seeing how _very_ high it was. It had been one thing to survive falling out of the airship, but it would be another thing entirely to survive a fall from this height. And as depressed as she was, she didn't really _want_ to die... she just wanted things to return to how they'd been.

It was impossible, of course. She knew it was impossible, and that just made her heart hurt all the more.

She looked around the empty area, the site of that last, heart-wrenching battle. She'd tried so hard, with the help of everyone in the village, to get Venti back. And she'd let them all down with Venti's death.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she huddled in on herself again, against a chill she couldn't escape. Maybe if she stayed up here, in this place, life in Selphia would go back to normal.

0o0o0o0

"We'll split up into teams of four," Arthur said as he anchored the airship next to the one that had been missing. "One of us will stay behind just in case Reesa comes back from wherever she may be."

It had been hard to refuse the whole town, but the airship could only hold so many, and even with most of them gone, the town still needed to function on some level. It had meant telling others such as Porco, and Blossom that they should probably stay behind and wait, but others had volunteered to stay, just in case Reesa used her escape spell and came back without the airship. Volkanon had been one such person, and Dr. Jones as well, though Nancy had come along, in case Reesa had been hurt. Even Margaret had come, though she was shaking with nervous tension; heights were not her thing, but for her best friend, she would overcome that fear.

"I'll stay," Nancy volunteered. "I owe her a big scolding as it is."

There was some quibbling over who would match up with whom in a team, but eventually things were settled. Arthur was with Dolce and Pico, Doug and Forte; Dylas had Amber, Vishanl, and Margaret, and Leon was with Clorica, Kiel, and Xiao Pai.

"We'll take the south path," Leon said.

"West is going to be tricky," Arthur nodded a little, "but we'll take that one."

"Which leaves us with east," Dylas said.

"Good luck, everyone," Nancy smiled.

There were glances exchanged all around, determined ones. They would bring Reesa back, and show her that no matter what she thought, they were there for _her_.

0o0o0o0

It was getting dark by the time all three teams returned to the central area. They were battered and bruised, and some were carrying things the monsters had dropped with the intent of selling, keeping, or crafting with them later. But none of them had seen Reesa.

"That just leaves that northern area," Dylas said.

"And we should probably go to it before it gets much darker," Margaret added with a shiver. "And colder."

"Agreed," Arthur nodded, nudging his glasses a little more up his nose. "She has probably spent more nights cold and alone than we can count, and it is time that ended."

Leon had to grin a little. The prince was getting impatient, and was undoubtedly as stressed out and tired as the rest of them were.

"Enough with the speeches. Let's got going!" Doug urged.

The norther path was hardly long or winding, but it wasn't wide either. There was just enough room for two people to walk side by side, with only a little room to slide by a railing if one wanted to switch places. Naturally they ended up more strung out than they'd meant to as various quiet conversations sprang up. Doug was complaining about the annoying circular transportations of the west path, Margaret was clinging to Forte in an effort to not get frozen by her fear of heights, Xiao Pai and Pico were chattering about the differences between all the paths, and so on. It was actually a fairly comforting buzz given the situation.

As before, Leon spotted her first, and stopped abruptly. Unfortunately the abruptness of said halt meant that the people behind him had no time to compensate, and the result was a rather comical pile up of people with Leon trapped on the bottom. And that was the scene Reesa turned around to see.

She blinked at them, at first unwilling to believe that anyone had come for her. The only person _not _in the pile up was Nancy, and she came straight for the princess, who was too surprised to even back away.

"My goodness, you've led us all on a merry chase," the nurse scolded as she proceeded to check Reesa over. "And caused no small amount of worry. You really shouldn't run off like that, Reesa dear."

Immobile in her surprise, Reesa just stared blankly at the pile of people attempting t untangle themselves with only a minimal amount of success.

"Wh-what..." her voice was rusty, as she hadn't really spoken to anyone in almost a week now. "What are you all... d-doing here?"

"We came to find you, of course. Did you really think we wouldn't?"

"I..."

She winced a little as Doug and Dylas, both tangled with people above and below them, started bickering. Nancy just shook her head, and pulled an onigiri out of her pocket, offering it to Reesa.

"Here. You don't look like you've had much to eat in a while. Then we should probably hep them get untangled."

Reesa obeyed automatically, and had to admit, the rice ball was delicious to her very empty stomach. She was more uncertain about following Nancy to the pile up, but went anyways. In truth, it was... well, it was almost amusing to see. And part of her heart that had been wrapped in despair started to warm.

Slowly everyone managed to untangle from everyone else, and within moments, they had surrounded the princess. Reesa shark in on herself a little, then squeaked in surprised as she was hauled into a tight hug from Leon.

"Idiot," he murmured in her ear. "You know it's okay to lean on us when you need to, right?"

"...Leo..."

He hugged her a little more tightly, then passed her to the right, where she was immediately yanked into another tight hug, this one from Dylas.

"I swear, don't you ever scare me like that again," he muttered. "We'd be useless without you."

Reesa found herself blinking back tears at his voice. Before she could say anything though, she was passed on to Arthur, whose hug was much more gentle, if no less unyielding.

"My lady..."

And on around the circle of her friends. Some scolded with tight hugs, others apologized for not seeing how much pain she was in, or failing to comfort her when she needed them. By the time she reached Leon again, she was crying.

"Come on," he said, laying an arm around her shoulders to steer her gently. "Let's go home."


	5. Dylas and Reesa

_ We got her home, and pretty much put her under a watch. No one suspected that she'd run off again, this was more so that we would be there when she needed people to talk with. And it was frustratingly hard to get her to talk at all, even after that whole mess. Especially when you're not good at really talking to people the way I am._

_But I tried. I took her out on a couple of dates, and we went on short walks together. We stayed inside the town for the most part,and everyone we ran into had something to say that they hoped would help._

_She was so stubborn... But in the end I finally got her to talk to me._

It was time to take her out of Selphia, he'd decided, to a quiet and calm spot. It was one of his favorite fishing spots, though he didn't often get the chance to visit it. It was pretty far out, and work did tend to keep him busy. Plus, now he was spending part of his time looking after Reesa...

She liked fishing, though, so it seemed like a good idea. And it had a slightly selfish hoped-for outcome too; he'd really missed her handmade sashimi.

He held her hand while they walked, a little gesture that she always seemed to appreciate. It was maybe a little embarrassing, but he wanted to see her smile again, a _real_ smile, and he wasn't going to stop until he'd gotten one.

He watched her out of the corner of his eye as they walked; she looked healthier, at least. More like she was supposed to, anyways. Not the twig she'd become when she hadn't been eating properly, or sleeping only a couple hours in a night. At the moment her gaze wasn't terribly focused, so he could get away with staring at her as much as he wanted. Which was quite a lot, really... He had the vague fear that if he let go of her hand, or stopped watching her, she'd vanish again, this time for good.

When they reached the fishing spot, a little bit of life and animation returned to her face. It made him smile to see it, and he carefully, casually, draped his arm around her shoulder. It made her jump, and he couldn't help but grin.

"Let's just sit and fish for a while," he said.

"That's... all?"

He saw her surprised look, and nodded.

"When you're ready to talk, I'm here," Dylas said a little gruffly. "But if you don't _want_ to talk, we can just fish. I've... missed tasting your sashimi."

Reesa blinked, and he saw the tiniest of uncertain tugs at the corners of her mouth. It wasn't a smile, but it was a near thing, and that was good enough for the moment.

"Okay. Let's fish, darling."

Warmth blossomed in his chest at her special name for him. It had been a while since he'd heard it said with anything resembling true affection, and he savored it quietly.

Fishing with her was soothing, and he noticed that with every fish she caught, she inched a little bit closer to him. Eventually she wasn't really fishing at all, but leaning against his shoulder and just watching _him_ fish. Which was perfectly fine, if a bit distracting.

"Darling?"

"Yeah?"

"...I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Being... being like this."

Dylas set his pole aside and wrapped his arm around her again.

"It's okay. You deserve to mourn Venti as much as anyone else does. More than some, actually. You knew her better."

Reesa sniffled a little, and he shifted so that he could put her into a proper hug, with her head against his chest.

"I just... she wanted me t-to... send her off with a smile," the princess whispered, pressing into his hold. "And I thought... Maybe if I smiled... maybe it wouldn't hurt so much."

"Dummy. You and Venti really are a lot alike."

He felt her shoulders shake, and worried that maybe he'd said the wrong thing, but when her arms wrapped tightly around him, he relaxed a little, and just held her as she cried. After a bit, he rested his cheek on her head, gently, carefully, smoothing her hair. She'd started wearing it loose, and no one had said anything about it, but he, for one, liked it. The pigtails had seemed kind of childish...

"I miss her so much," she choked out.

"Yeah. I know. I miss her too. And that's okay." He was quiet for a minute, as she continued to cry into his chest, then awkwardly kissed the top of her head. "But you know... it's Venti. I'm sure we'll see her again. Probably when we least expect it."

"You... you think so?"

She pulled back enough to look up at him, and he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from her face.

"Yeah. She does that, you know? Just pops out and saves the day and then wonders why everyone's making such a fuss."

He smiled a little, and was rewarded with the sweetest sound he'd heard in a while. Reesa's tiny little giggle. It was weak, and shaky, but it was genuine.

"You just have to keep believing... but that doesn't mean you're not allowed to grieve. Just... don't hold it in, okay? Come to one of us. We're all here for you, after all. As friends, and... and as more."

He was blushing by the time he was done with the short speech, but it seemed to have done some of the job. At the very least, she'd stopped crying. He wet down his handkerchief and swiped it over her face. She squeaked, but let him do it.

"It's cold!" she complained.

"Well, it's a fish pond," he retorted. "And fish like cooler water."

Besides which, it would help with the red eyes and puffiness of her face, though he wasn't dumb enough to say that out loud. He'd just managed to make her smile, after all, and he didn't want to ruin that.

When he'd finished wiping her face, he was ready to turn and go back to fishing. Reesa, however, didn't seem inclined to let him do that, as she went right back to leaning against him, her head against his chest.

"C-can we... stay like this for a while?" she asked, and he winced internally to hear the timidity in her voice.

"Yeah. Sure."

Though this was definitely not something he was going to share with Arthur or Leon. No way.


	6. Leon and Reesa

_ It was slow, and subtle, but she started cheering up again, naturally. It wasn't forced, and it was obvious she still missed Venti, but it was definitely nice to see her smile. Trading off watch-duty didn't hurt either, since we all wanted to help her get better. I had to work for the smile and laughter, but I'll be the first to say it was worth the effort._

It had been Leon's turn to take her on a date this time, and it had taken some thinking about. He'd considered the airship for a long time, but had inevitably discarded it as too close to home for her. And he wanted to be alone with her, so that ruled out places like the lake, Porco's restaurant, and both general and flower stores. Her room was right out, of course, as he wanted to keep it friendly...

In the end, he fell to the same idea Dylas had, in taking her outside of town. She had blushed most adorably when he'd slung an arm around her shoulders, steering her towards the main gate.

"Ah, wh-where... where are we going?"

"There's a nice spot in Yokmir forest," he replied. "We'll have to clear it out first, but after that we can just sit and enjoy it. Sound good?"

She blinked, then nodded, though he could easily read the uncertainty in her expression.

"Not up for a monster fight" he asked, keeping his tone light and genial.

"Ah, w-well..." she blushed again, then shook her head.

"That's okay. You can watch me, then."

His brash confidence earned him a tiny giggle, a sound that was slowly becoming more familiar again as the shades of grief passed. It brought relief to him, undeniable and unshakeable relief, that she was getting better, and learning to lean on them. The idea of her waking up and being gone...

His arm tightened around her, pulling her just a little closer. She squeaked in surprise, but didn't protest, and after a moment he loosened his grip with a quiet apology.

The creatures in Yokmir forest weren't tough enough to give either of them a real challenge anymore, and after breaking the gate, were easy to get rid of. He then pulled Reesa onto the log that doubled as a bridge, and sat down. He felt more than saw her surprise as he pulled her down into his lap, wrapping his arms securely around her waist.

"L-Leo!"

He glanced down to see that adorable blush on her face and grinned a little.

"You're cute when you're flustered."

She blushed harder, and pushed a little at his arms. He loosened his grip, but didn't let go entirely. The lighter hold seemed to help, and she settled against him timidly after a minute, and he rested his chin on her head fondly.

"...this is really pretty," she said after several minutes had passed.

"Yeah. It's one of those places that doesn't really seem to change much."

"Leo..."

He nuzzled the top of her head gently, playing a little with some of her hair. He wasn't blind to the way she leaned against him, and he simply tightened his hold on her, cuddling her close.

"Leo?"

"Hmm?"

"I-I'm..."

"You don't have to apologize. Grief makes people do weird things."

He could feel her startle in surprise, and chuckled a little, shifting to nuzzle at her temple.

"I know how you feel. I didn't want Venti to go either, so I became a Guardian to prevent it. Honestly, I think you would have become one too, if that'd been an option for you, right?" He felt her nod, and hugged her again, gently. "So you don't have to apologize to me. I get it. If anything I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me."

Reesa hesitantly snuggled back against him, and he briefly tightened his hold once more, though he eased up when she squirmed a little.

"B-but I was... behaving very selfishly.."

"You were grieving," he corrected her. "We all were, but none of us thought to band together and make it easier on all of us. Especially us Guardians, we should definitely have done that. Had a farewell dinner or something at Porco's, or maybe found some way of hosting a funeral... something to give us all closure on the matter. Not just for us, but you too."

"...could... could we still do something like that?"

"I don't see why not. Would you want the whole village involved?"

Reesa shook her head quickly, at last settling in his arms.

"Just... just you four, I think. Those of us who knew Venti the best. Maybe a... a formal funeral for everyone else later."

"That sounds good," he agreed, once more resting his chin on her head. "Though you don't need to rush into planning things right now. Let's just stay like this, huh?"

He felt her sigh, and chuckled, nuzzling her gently again.

"If it helps make you feel better, I'm enjoying cuddling with you," he murmured. "It reminds me that you're still here and not off somewhere I can't reach you or help out."

She shifted a little, and he leaned back to see her expression. She was startled, and surprised, but there was that cute blush again.

"I'm-"

He cut her off with a quick kiss that turned her a much brighter red.

"None of that. Just enjoy the moment."

He didn't need an apology. Her being here was good enough for him. And maybe stealing that kiss had been playing dirty, but it had made her stop trying to apologize. After a minute she sighed a little, and he had a feeling he was going to be in for it.

"You're such a bully," she grumbled, though from the way she leaned back against him, he could tell she didn't really mean it.

He just chuckled and kissed her cheek.

"You know you love me," he teased.

She was quiet for a long minute, then shifted, and moved to kiss his cheek, surprising him. A tiny smile was on her face, and warmth in her eyes.

"Yeah. I do."

Now it was his turn to blush, and she grinned at him.

"Gotcha~"

"Oh, now you're asking for it!"

He promptly took advantage of their closeness and started tickling her. She yelped, and laughed helplessly, doing her best to fend off his fingers while attempting retaliation. Her laugh was the sweetest thing he'd heard in a while, and that only made him redouble his efforts. This worked well until one of them—he wasn't really sure which one, as they were both laughing and tickling—overbalanced and they both ended up in the water.

They popped up, Leon shaking his head to dispell the water from his ears.

"You okay?" Reesa asked, swimming over to him.

"Yup. But you're not~"

"Wha-eek!"

He promptly dunked her in the water, and the game restarted from there.


	7. Arthur and Reesa

_I would never have expected her to return so completely to herself with the support of others, but I must admit, there are times when her resilience surprises me most of all. It was very much similar to when I first met her in Lady Ventuswill's chamber... She did not cry then, though I have no doubt that she truly wanted to. I could not have her cry, nor could I leave someone who knew so little about herself to such elements... _

_And truly, everything worked out for the best. Even if it has been painful at times, it is the best._

Arthur had _meant_ to take Reesa on a date of his own, but he had been hit with several customers in a row, plus a large pile of unfinished paperwork. He had apologized profusely about the delay, and had set her up with some Relax Tea and a small tray of food to eat while he rushed through what he could. He glanced up every now and then, to make sure she wasn't upset at the delay, but each time she seemed to have her nose buried in one of his various books.

When he was finished, he sighed and leaned back in his chair, shaking his head a little.

"Well, that will teach me to leave things for later," he said ruefully, removing his glasses to rub his eyes briefly. "My apologies, my lady..."

He put his glasses back on, then glanced up when Reesa didn't reply. And blinked because he didn't see her. His heart jumped into his throat, and he got up from his desk so quickly that he knocked the chair over. She hadn't left, had she?

His breath came out in a whoosh of relief as he peered over the back of the couch and saw her curled up on it, fast asleep. She still had the book, even, and it made him smile a little as he reached out to brush some of her hair out of her face.

"You really do know how to scare me, my lady," her murmured, moving around so that he could sit down next to the couch without disturbing her. "I fear every time I _don't_ see you I shall only worry more about you."

He reached out to stroke her hair again, gently, smoothing the fine strands away from her face. She stirred a little, nuzzling into his hand before blinking awake. He smiled fondly at her as she startled, then stifled a chuckle at the blush that crossed her face.

"Good evening, my lady. Did you enjoy your nap?"

Reesa blushed more, and Arthur couldn't help but grin. Really, she was just the cutest thing he'd ever seen.

"Ah, I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean too..."

"It's quite all right," he said reassuringly. "I didn't mean to get hit with quite so much paperwork, so I'm glad that you are not upset with me. We can still go eat in the restaurant if you'd like?"

She shook her head a little.

"Is there something else you;'d like to do?"

"Uhm... well... can I... can I ask for your help on something?"

"Of course!" He moved to sit beside her on the couch, and felt a small blush of his own cross his face as she snuggled up next to him. "I would be honored to help you, my lady. What do you need?"

"...I... I was wondering if... if maybe we could hold a funeral for... for Venti. For the town."

He blinked at her in surprise, and she blushed again, ducking her head a little.

"It just... it could help?" she offered timidly.

"It could," Arthur nodded, leaning in to kiss her forehead gently. "And not just the townspeople, but you as well, correct?"

She nodded, and he smiled softly.

"Then yes, we should do that. We may not have known Lady Ventuswill personally, but even distantly everyone was quite fond of her. I think it is a wonderful idea."

Reesa smiled timidly, and leaned against him a little more firmly. Gingerly he draped his arm around her shoulders in a little hug.

"Do you want to start now?" he asked carefully, trying to stifle his own blush.

"...I just want to stay like this for a while," she said quietly. "If... if it's okay."

"Of course, my lady. Whatever you want."

He felt more than saw the tension ease out of her, and found himself tugging her a little closer.

"Uhm... Sir Arthur?"

"Yes?"

"...I was also going to... to have something for just the Guardians and.. and me. That's okay, right?"

"Of course it is. You all knew Lady Ventuswill so much better than the rest of us." He was quiet a moment. "I would be lying if I said I was not a little jealous of the idea, but you should do what feel right and makes you feel better about what happened. If arranging a funeral for everyone, and a smaller get-together for those who knew her best helps, then I am more than happy to arrange such a thing."

"J-jealous?"

He smiled down at her, and brushed some of her hair out of her face.

"Well, I want to help make you feel better too," he admitted. "So yes, there is a small bit of jealousy abut not being included. But I admit, it would not be right for me to push myself into a get-together where you will spend time speaking of Lady Ventuswill, especially since the idea is that it will help you as well as Dolce, Amber, Dylas and Leon."

She smiled a little up at him, and he leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"But if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know," he said quietly. "You don't have to hold it all inside."

She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, gingerly at first, and then tighter when he simply hugged her back.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"It is my pleasure," he murmured back.


	8. Letting go

_It was a good funeral. Poor Mr. Volkanon couldn't stop crying, and everyone showed up to tell Venti good bye again. Sir Arthur really came through... And everyone else who helped too. I think she would have liked it, but knowing Venti, she might have complained that it wasn't fancy enough._

_I'm feeling better now. Not so lost or helpless any more. I have people to lean on now, and even if Venti's gone, Leo and Darling are right. I have to keep believing in her. And even more, I have to keep going. I still... I still miss her a lot, but I understand now._

_I'm not alone._

It wasn't an amazingly elaborate funeral, but it was pretty impressive. Illuminata had donated the flowers from her shop, and Porcoline had been more than ready to feed everyone. Of course, with Porco it meant fending him off from the food as well... Margaret was good at that, at least.

Everyone who could made a short speech about Venti, each speaking of how the Elder Dragon had touched all of them in some form or fashion. It helped lift Reesa's heart to know just how much her friend had done for the town and its people. Even Doug got up to try and say something, but he turned red and couldn't get anything out. Fortunately, no one laughed at him, and he eventually managed to spit out an apology, not just to Ventuswill, but to the whole town.

Reesa had decided to save her little speech for last, and it was getting late by the time her turn arrived. Fortunately, no one seemed terribly impatient. Timidly she cleared her voice and the attention of the townspeople turned to her.

"Uhm..."

Reesa fidgeted nervously; she'd never had this many people staring at her before, and it made her nervous. She scanned the crowd for a minute, trying to compose herself, and saw several people giving her encouraging looks. Leon even went so far as to give her a discreet thumbs up and a cheesy wink that helped.

"When I first came here I didn't... know anything. I knew my name, and that was really it. Venti... Venti saved me, in more ways than one. She was my friend. And sort of my mother too. And I'm never going to be able to forget her, or repay her kindness... but I can keep her memory in my heart, and from that, I can take strength."

It was a shorter speech than she'd meant to make, but it said all that she wanted to say, and like several of the other villagers—most notably the former Guardians—she was fighting back tears from even saying that much.

With her speech, the funeral was officially over, but no one seemed terribly inclined to leave. Instead everyone was sharing quiet stories about the dragon and how she'd always been there and how it wasn't the same, but maybe it was okay to continue on with life again. Slowly, one by one, Dolce, Amber, Dylas and Leon slid through the crowd to Reesa.

"So, so, are ewe going to go to Porco's for our own thing?" Amber asked.

"Well..." Reesa felt herself blushing, and ducked her head a little shyly. "A-actually I thought we could all hang out in my room."

"Oooo! I get to see Reesa's room!" Amber chirped, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"You had it expanded recently, didn't you?" Leon asked, a tiny smirk crossing his face. "Made a little dining area?"

Reesa blushed, and glanced shyly at Dolce.

"I don't mind," the elf said quietly.

"Did you do all the cooking?" Pico piped up.

"Ah, n-no... Dylas helped me with some of it," Reesa admitted, giving him a tiny smile. Dylas blushed a little and looked away, much to Leon's amusement.

"Well, let's go then, before someone comes to say we should do something else," the fox-eared man suggested. "You girls can go through the main entrance, Dylas and I will come around through the back~"

Reesa blushed, ducking her head shyly. She heard Dolce sigh, and then a little thump, followed by Leon's laughing protest.

"Come on, I wanna taste Reesa's food!" Amber chirped.

"O-okay, well, come on then," Reesa said, flustered.

Amber and Dolce both followed Reesa while, as suggested, the two men went out the back way. The princess could only hope that no one noticed... She had told Arthur about it because it had felt wrong to not include him, but she did appreciate the fact that all he did was drop a little kiss on her cheek as she passed him by. Of course, it only made her blush harder, which brought amused giggles from both Amber and Pico. Dolce, at least, seemed inclined to be sympathetic, and Reesa felt the lightest touch of her hand as they exited the gathering and stepped into her room.

Reesa sighed a little, and shook herself slightly, willing the blush away fiercely.

"Ooooh, that's such a cute chipsqueak!" Amber squealed, darting across the room to jump on the bed where the plush toy was resting. "Wow, and it's so soft too!"

"Ah, y-yeah. I got it because it was a chipsqueak that showed me how to place the Rune Spheres," Reesa smiled a little at the memory. "I always wanted to thank the little guy..."

"So you got a plush toy to cuddle on, right?" Amber grinned as Reesa nodded. "That's so cute! I wanna do something like that!"

"How about you do it tomorrow?" Leon suggested as he and Dylas stepped into the room. "It is kind of late, after all."

"Oh, right!"

Dolce shook her head a little, but Reesa found herself smiling.

"Come on, the kitchen is back here," she said, and lead the way through to the small area that she had arranged as a kitchen and dining spot. "I tried to make something for everyone..."

For Leon she had made some grilled salmon and salted rainbow trout, while for Dylas there was some sashimi and milk porridge. Amber had some raw, sliced fruits and honey, while for Dole she'd made some flan and cake. And of course there were other things that they had all mentioned liking, some raw vegetable, a few fruit drinks, and some relax tea.

"Wooooow," Pico said as everyone settled in at the table. "It almost makes me wish I could eat some too!"

"If you could, then you would probably be quiet for a while."

Reesa stifled a giggle at Docle's blunt comment, but the round of snickers told her that she didn't need to worry about being so circumspect.

"This is really good," Amber said after a minute. "You grew all of these yourself, huh?"

"Mmhm. I'm really glad that Venti told me I had to work the fields too, even though I think she made it up just because she thought I was an Earthmate."

"That sounds like Venti," Leon chuckled. "Making someone else do the work to test out her hypothesis."

"Yeah," Amber giggled. "And being all roundabout too!"

"She's as difficult to get a straightforward answer as Dolly is," Pico chimed in. Then yelped as Dolce briefly swatted her with a talisman.

"She definitely care about this town, though," Dylas commented. "So adamant about it being her place, and her home to guard." Then he smiled a little. "Kind of like you, Reesa."

Reesa blushed, and laughed a little sheepishly.

"No, I'm not like Venti..."

"You are," Dolce said quietly. "You're both that same sort of stubborn. And protective."

"And fun to tease," Leon put in with a grin.

"And fun to talk to!" Amber chirped.

"And you don't have to keep everything in," Dylas said. "We understand."

Reesa sniffled, and wiped at her eyes, which head teared up.

"You are really some of the best friends I've ever had," she said, smiling shyly. "Thanks..."

"We wouldn't be here without you," Dylas pointed out, giving her shoulder a light push. "So don't worry about it."

"Yeah! We'll make every day good, cause we're all together!" Amber said.

"No matter the weather, no matter the mood," Leon chuckled a little, reaching over to ruffle Reesa's hair. She squeaked, and batted at his hand with a pout, which only made him grin. "We'll figure it out."

Dolce nodded, a tiny smile on her face. That more than anything else helped Reesa to beat back the tears and give them all a smile.

' "You're right. I'm not alone. And neither is anyone else."


End file.
